Kidney transplant recipients with functioning grafts for more than 15 years

Renal transplantation is the best renal replacement therapy because it significantly improves patient survival. The developments in transplantation and increasing number of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have unmasked long-term complications secondary to immunosuppressive drugs and chronic renal failure.

Eighty-six renal transplant recipients with grafts that have functioned more than 15 years were included in the study. This cross-sectional retrospective analysis of demographic, clinical, and laboratory findings was conducted in 3 Turkish transplantation centers. The mean age was 30.4 ± 10.2 years at the time of the transplantation. The mean time between the transplantation and the study was 19.1 ± 3.6 years. At the time of the study, mean creatinine level was 1.52 ± 0.60 mg/dL, 70.09% of the patients displayed glomerular filtration rates <60 mL/min/1.73 m(2). Urinary protein excretion was 0.57 ± 0.65 g/d. Hypertension and hyperlipidemia were the most common comorbid diseases. Twelve patients had diabetes and 9 cardiovascular disease. Seventeen patients had been diagnosed with skin and 5 with non-skin cancer.

As the number of recipients with long-term functioning grafts increases, long-term complications become evident, particularly chronic renal failure. Survivors should be evaluated regularly and treated early for risk factors and complications to improve long-term graft and patient survival.